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Faviidae
Mussidae is a family of stony coral in the order Scleractinia. Following a taxonomic revision in 2012, the family is now restricted to species found in the Atlantic Ocean, with Pacific species transferred to the new family Lobophylliidae. Many species are referred to as brain coral because their generally spheroid form and grooved surface resembles the convolutions of a brain. Members of this family are found in the reef aquarium trade. Though popular in captivity, they are under threat from environmental destruction like coral bleaching. The Mussidae is one of the coral families most vulnerable to climate change. Taxonomy The family Mussidae has long been recognised on morphological grounds but recent molecular analysis has shown that it, and several other related families, are polyphyletic, the similarities between the species having occurred through convergent evolution. Additionally, some traditional genera such as '' Favia'' and ''Scolymia'' have been found to be poly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colpophyllia
''Colpophyllia'' is a genus of stony corals in the family Mussidae. It is monotypic with a single species, ''Colpophyllia natans'', commonly known as boulder brain coral or large-grooved brain coral. It inhabits the slopes and tops of reefs, to a maximum depth of fifty metres. It is characterised by large, domed colonies, which may be up to two metres across, and by the meandering network of ridges and valleys on its surface. The ridges are usually brown with a single groove, and the valleys may be tan, green, or white and are uniform in width, typically 2 centimetres. The polyps only extend their tentacles at night. Description Individual colonies of ''Colpophyllia natans'' are large and usually broadly domed, with curvature typically increasing with the size, and therefore age, of the colony. They grow up to two metres in diameter and morphologically earn the epithet "boulder". Colony shape may occasionally be flat-topped discs, particularly when younger. As a type of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stony Coral
Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mouth is fringed with tentacles. Although some species are solitary, most are colonial. The founding polyp settles and starts to secrete calcium carbonate to protect its soft body. Solitary corals can be as much as across but in colonial species the polyps are usually only a few millimetres in diameter. These polyps reproduce asexually by budding, but remain attached to each other, forming a multi-polyp colony of clones with a common skeleton, which may be up to several metres in diameter or height according to species. The shape and appearance of each coral colony depends not only on the species, but also on its location, depth, the amount of water movement and other factors. Many shallow-water corals contain symbiont unicellular organi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scleractinia
Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a mouth is fringed with tentacles. Although some species are solitary, most are colonial. The founding polyp settles and starts to secrete calcium carbonate to protect its soft body. Solitary corals can be as much as across but in colonial species the polyps are usually only a few millimetres in diameter. These polyps reproduce asexually by budding, but remain attached to each other, forming a multi-polyp colony of clones with a common skeleton, which may be up to several metres in diameter or height according to species. The shape and appearance of each coral colony depends not only on the species, but also on its location, depth, the amount of water movement and other factors. Many shallow-water corals contain symbiont unicellular organism ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lobophylliidae
Lobophylliidae is a family of large polyp stony corals. The family was created in 2009 after a revision of the "robust" families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, which had been shown to be polyphyletic. The family Lobophylliidae was formed out of the Indo-Pacific species that had traditionally been included in Mussidae, and some of the species which had previously formed Pectiniidae, the remaining species from Pectiniidae having been merged into Merulinidae. The type genus is '' Lobophyllia''. Taxonomy The "robust" stony coral families of Faviidae, Merulinidae, Mussidae and Pectiniidae, have traditionally been recognised on morphological grounds but recent molecular analysis has shown that these families are polyphyletic, the similarities between the species having occurred through convergent evolution. Additionally, some traditional genera such as ''Favia'' and '' Scolymia'' have been found to be polyphyletic, with the Atlantic faviids and scolymids being m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mussa Angulosa
''Mussa'' is a genus of stony coral in the family Faviidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species ''Mussa angulosa'', commonly known as the spiny or large flower coral. It is found on reefs in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico. Description ''Mussa angulosa'' is a colonial species and the whole clump forms a low dome that may reach across. The corallites are phaceloid, that is they have a tubular form growing from a common base, in series of one to three, or occasionally up to five. The individual corallites are large, being in diameter and up to high. There are four cycles of septa in each corallite, nearly equal in size; they are narrow and curved, with wide spacing. The individual polyps are very large, sometimes reaching a length of and a diameter of . They completely obscure the short branches of the stony skeleton on which they occur. During the day the polyps appear fleshy, but during the night they expand further ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brain Coral
Brain coral is a common name given to various corals in the families Mussidae and Merulinidae, so called due to their generally spheroid shape and grooved surface which resembles a brain. Each head of coral is formed by a colony of genetically identical polyps which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate; this makes them important coral reef builders like other stony corals in the order Scleractinia. Brain corals are found in shallow warm water coral reefs in all the world's oceans. They are part of the phylum Cnidaria, in a class called Anthozoa or "flower animals". The lifespan of the largest brain corals is 900 years. Colonies can grow as large as 1.8 m (6 ft) or more in height. Brain corals extend their tentacles to catch food at night. During the day, they use their tentacles for protection by wrapping them over the grooves on their surface. The surface is hard and offers good protection against fish or hurricanes. Branching corals, such as staghorn cor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manicina
''Manicina'' is a genus of reef-building stony corals in the family Mussidae. Species The following species are included in the genus according to the World Register of Marine Species: * ''Manicina areolata ''Manicina areolata'', commonly known as rose coral, is a Colony (biology), colonial species of Scleractinia, stony coral. It occurs in shallow water in the West Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, sometimes as small solid heads and sometimes as un ...'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * †'' Manicina grandis'' (Duncan, 1864) * †'' Manicina navicula'' (Duncan, 1864) References Faviinae Scleractinia genera Taxa named by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg {{scleractinia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mussismilia
''Mussismilia'' is a genus of stony corals in the subfamily Faviinae of the family Mussidae. This genus is restricted to the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Brazil. Description ''Mussismilia'' is a colonial coral. Budding is always intracalicular, occurring inside the oral disc of the polyp, within the whorl of tentacles. The corallites are phaceloid or subplocoid, with one to three centres being linked. When coenosteum is present, there is a distinctive double wall. The columella is discontinuous. The septa are porous and have unique, multi-directional teeth formed of twisted threads. The columella is spongy, and the columellar teeth are different in size and shape from the septal teeth. Species The World Register of Marine Species lists the following three species : *''Mussismilia braziliensis'' (Verrill, 1868) *''Mussismilia harttii'' (Verrill, 1868) *''Mussismilia hispida ''Mussismilia'' is a genus of stony corals in the subfamily Faviinae of the family Mussidae. This ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudodiploria
''Pseudodiploria'' is a genus of stony corals in the subfamily Faviinae of the family Mussidae. This genus was erected in 2012, having been split off from the genus '' Diploria''. This genus is found in the tropical and subtropical West Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Characteristics ''Pseudodiploria'' is a colonial coral. Budding is always intracalicular, occurring inside the oral disc of the polyp, within the whorl of tentacles. The corallites are meandroid, with a number of centres being linked serially, separated by valleys some wide. There is a continuous, trabecular columella but hardly any coenosteum. The septal teeth are three-pointed and are orientated transversely to the septal plane. Species The World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
